KNIFE HAND CHOP – bounty killer killer

Some seven or eight years old, and I only own it on a measly vinyl seven inch single, this is still the coolest mix of freakazoid IMD distortion with ragga rhythms and jiving that you can get your dirty paws on. Definitely able to blast any kind of dancefloor to bits and then suck up the remnants of unfortunate survivors. And still a lot better than 99% of all that dubstep shit that set out so promising only to deliver so little. Crazy, how one little slab of vinyl and the distorted beats on it can lighten up your living room.

12^th Feb 10

GLEN CAMPBELL – rhinestone cowboy

Like it or not, or even want to know it or not, but Glen Campbell by all means is the Neil Diamond of country music. All the time I expect him to break into "I am I said" but all he does is "rhinestone cowboy". It's cheesy, with lotsa orchestra and everything you want from kitsch to come. But, hell, I like it.

4^th Feb 10

GIRLS – big bad mean motherfucker

You read about “Laura” below? Well, “Big Bad Mean Motherfucker” is the best mix of Jesus and the Mary Chain and the Beach Boys ever since Jesus and the Mary Chain covered the Beach Boys themselves.

16^th Jan 10

GIRLS - Laura

The Girls will get the award for sounding most like early Elvis Costello for 2009 from me and this song will get an honorable mention for being a complete Costello rip off from the voice of the singer to the chorus in the background – but in a really good way. Good to listen to. Wonderful song. This is a real award, meaning not that it really exists, dude that was irony, but that it is a good way of ripping off.

16^th Jan 10

MUMFORD & SONS – little lion man

One of my favorite alt.country bands at the time and they are from Scottland – make of that what you want. “Little lion man” is a great song and a wonderful re-interpretation of the old “what a stupid sod I was to let you go / betray you / not love you enough” man to woman song. And the music video I saw had the “fuck” censored to silence, even though the line reads “I really fucked it up.” Just in case you was wondering.

14^th Jan 10

ADAM GREEN – buddy bradley

Just over a week after I had re-discovered the little info-tidbit on this one song by Treepeople (see below) I look at the new album “Minor Love” by Adam Green and what do I see? One song is named Buddy Bradley, the protagonist of my favorite comic of the grunge era and an avid fan of Ballard Bitter. There are no coincidences, the signs are everywhere, man. All I need to know now is what the heck they mean.

7^th Jan 10

TREEPEOPLE – Ballard Bitter

This legendary band from Seattle (do you remember what Dug Martsch is doing now?) obviously had an obsession with comics, and especially with Hate by Peter Bagge. I have no idea how many people pointed this out already, but it took me more than fifteen years to write it down: Ballard Bitter is the favorite local brewskie of Buddy Bradley, who is the main character of Hate and lived in Seattle at the same time (in the comic) as the whole Grunge explosion (in real life). That there is another song on this album (“Just kidding”) called “Cartoon Brew” only corroborates my theory. And it is definitely worth it to write this down, if only to finally use the word corroborate somewhere.

28^th Dec 09

BILLY PAUL - let em in

An educative disco hit? Really, this song not only is a great, soulful disco-hit from the Seventies, it also features vocal samples of all kinds of black leaders from the Seventies, some reciting the US constitution, some remembering Martin Luther King and Malcolm X and so on. An unexpected insight into the differentialism possible in all kinds of music all througout the times. Now, whenever someone will go on about the stupidity of disco and its unpoliticalness, I will draw out this song as an example of the opposite. That does not prove anything important, though, but it'll show who knows what about what.

HAROLD MELVIN AND THE BLUE NOTES - don't leave me this way

Christmas party at the office. Somebody puts on this track. Someone else says, I remember this to be faster. Yeah, but that was a newer version, somebody else says, I think it was Frankie goes to Hollywood. No way, I say, it was Erasure, you hear me. Anyway, this version has a lot more soul and it is eleven minutes long. So what else do you want for a party?

TOM WAITS - Fannin Street

Despite the variety of standards that have slowly crept into Tom Waits' repertoire - the opera singer, the blues destroyer, screaming jay hawkins, etc. - he is still the master of the wonderful late night ballad. And "Fannin Street", originally one of the bawlers on the Orphans triple CD, presented live on "Glitter and Doom" is a perfect example of this. Whenever Waits seems to sing lowly to a lonely girl in a dark night sidestreet somewhere, cautioning her, guarding her, tempting her, this setting soothes me and almost drives me to tears. 

RUMBLE STRIPS - welcome to the walk alone

Somewhere in a good place between Mando Diao and Dexy's Midnight Runners this english soul sixties retro-fiers are a nice suprise. Sure, the singer sometimes sounds like that whining siren of Keane but the Mark Ronson production makes this very soulfull and enjoyable. Warms up any cold evening.

GIRLS - lust for life

It struck me right away: these Girls are re-impersonations of early Elvis Costello, both in the akward-pop-songwriting skills and in the nasal, introvert vocals. I know a lot of people see connections between Weezer and Elvis Costello, but that is wrong. Yes, both wear big glasses, but then they should be going for Buddy Holly for Weezer and leave Elvis Costello for the Girls. Would fit me a lot better. Thank you.

GORDON GANO & THE RYANS - waves and water

With its funky guitar strumming, the ethno beats and the nasal singing voice of Gordon Gano this sounds a lot like late phase Talking Heads. I have no idea what that means in regards to the re-surfacing of Gano after years of not hearing anything from him (aside from "Blister in the sun" used in a mobile phone commercial)...

A GIRL CALLED EDDIE - the long goodbye

Life is way too short to listen to boring lovesongs, they have to be great right from the start. For some reason the best love songs are always about lost or broken love. How come? Anyway, this one is a very nice one. Perfect for late night drives with the lonely piano, sparse arrangements and endless repetition of the refrain at the end.

SCOOTER – the sound above my hair

Apart from the as usual grandiose 4/4 beat, hardcore trance soundscapes and skimpy clad dancers, the melody of the verses is a direct rip off of Black’s “Wonderful world” from the Eighties. Yes, remixing a hit from the Eighties with a techno beat is still a perfect way to make some bucks, but do Scooter really have to get so low in their aspirations?

13th Nov 09

HOCKEY – song away

I like this Eighties beat, probably because I grew up with it and it is re-vamped enough to not be purely retro. And also because it fits so well with the refrain and then makes my ass move. Maybe this will end up on mainstream radio airplay for a long time, like “Tubthumping” or “Crazy”, but that is okay. Sometimes I have to listen to radio as well (in a car, a shop, an office) and then songs like these are better than the usual R’n’B-shit of today.

26^th Nov 09

FUCK BUTTONS - surf solar

I like Tangerine Dream, You Like Tangerine Dream, we all like Tangerine Dream. I like Isis, you like Isis, we all like Isis. I like Brian Eno, you like Brian Eno, we all like Brian Eno. I like crazy motherfuckers, you like crazy motherfuckers, we all like crazy motherfuckers. I like Trans Am, You like Trans Am, we all like Trans Am.

FOREST FIRE - survival

I guess "Exile on Mainstreet" is high on their list of top albums of all times. It wasn't intended, put the pun on "high" is pretty good as well, methinks. Anyway, the drunken stupor of the mid-seventies Stones mixes wonderfully with the home-made atmosphere of these songs and the overall Americana feeling. Interesting, isn't it, that time and time again you'll have to remember yourself that the Stones are actually from England.

CHUCK RAGAN - for godness sake

This is the opener of the pretty good new album by Chuck Ragan, who once sang in some punkband, but I forgot which one. Most interestingly, though, he sounds a lot like Barry McGuire here. Certainly you remember the "Eve of Destruction" and how Barry never became as famous as Bob Dylan even though he did that older, rougher, edgier Dylan-imposto very well. I don't know about Ragan in this respect, but if McGuire actually was a lot better than everybody assumed, then there is a lot of future ahead for Ragan. Personally, I like his rickety country style stompers the best.

MONEYBROTHER - (never ever) I've been kissed

"Did I wake you up by singing a song?" Yes, indeed, but thank you very much. This song stands out from the new album with its Elvis impersonation singing style. They are back to the good old, driving a car on the highway kind of groove when the chorus strikes in. Just as the are back to the cool songs when album starts to end. In the middle they try out a few new things, but all of that is cool. This is not a first listen great album, it takes a few rounds. But then all the songs are cool. But this one has that Elvis impersonator deep voice, which is übercool.

KILLSWITCH ENGANGE - starting over

Truly, people tell me that Killswitch Engage are the shit-all best new metal band around and I am willing to believe them. Also for the reason that I have no intent of checking the truth of that statement. Anyway, it is also the mark of the return of the air-raid-siren singing of heavy metal vocalists. The huevos crunching wailing that together with the double guitar attack and stampede riffs made the first two albums of Iron Maiden so great. Yeah, there is a lot of new stuff in here as well, but if you grew up in the Eighties in a not so well off suburb then you'll know exactly what it is that I like about this song.

FIERY FURNACES

Sounds strange, as if two bands played the same song in different styles at the same time, at one part the one taking over (a late night alt country band) and then the other (the smallest electric guitar big band on earth). Maybe all it means is that with their umpteenth album the Fiery Furnaces have started to swing with their own beat. Let’s see where that will lead us too. Half a dozen songs into the album it starts to sound familiar. And the singers voice becomes more and more like Ani Di Franco’s with time.

TALKING HEADS - heaven

Here is a lyric for you: "Heaven, is a place, a place where nothing, nothing ever happens." After clocking in 60+ hours for weeks I know exactly what David Byrne meant when he wrote that. Moreover it is a beautiful song, no matter what. Great major / minor fall from first verse to bridge, too. From their "fear of music" album. 

7th Sep 09

NOUVELLE VAGUE - road to nowhere

How cleverly Nouvelle Vague show us with their arrangement, that "Road To Nowhere" could have been a very fine Americana song, instead of the unbeatable cult classic it has become. Fine work!

4th Sep 09

GET WELL SOON! - Listen! those lost at sea sing a song on christmas day

In a lot of ways this song starts like a better version of the pop-version of Radiohead. I mean, I like Radiohead. At times. It is difficult to write about music seriously and then say you don't like Radiohead, because in a lot of ways it is like saying you don't like Apple. Instant confrontation in a lot of places. Metalheads are on your side instantly, but who wants that? So, if you ask me about Radiohead, I would say that I prefer Get Well Soon. And then you say, that is something that can not be compared and I will answer, right, and so you are.

27th Aug 09

NO MEANS NO - Hunt the she-beast

I know exactly who they are talking about, because I know the she-beast. She is a markeitng executive I used to work for and many employees used to have aggression release day-vision that came really close to what this song depicts. And, probably opposite to what the song really wants to convey, she deserved every single bit of the treatment.

27th Aug 09

XTC - This is pop

This song is thirty one years old and has lost nothing of its freshness and energy. I wish I could say the same thing about me.

20th Aug 09

PORTUGAL THE MAN - People Say

This might be the best song that Oasis didn't write in the last five years.

14th Aug 09

JERRY LEE LEWIS - (You're the only star) in my blue heaven

The average song length of early Jerry Lee Lewis albums is apr. two minutes. Now talk about the Ramones as inventors of american punk. Now way, the "Killah" beats them by good ten to twenty seconds. Not a lot people know on top of being the main mothafucka rock'n'roller Jerry Lee is also a genius country singer. He can even blast live and energy into this sodden Gene Autry classic.

8th Aug 09

DAVID BOWIE - heroes

Saw this on TV and Moby said that this is a very beautiful video even though it has been shot with just two cameras and is very simple. You know what? He is right. And Want to know why that is so? Because first this song has hit the nerve of a lot of people at a very special and time and therefore has almost historic meaning as standing for something far bigger than the song is itself. It is emblematic a special era and therefore of major artistic merit. And second, David Bowie has a lot of charisma. Just for being what he is and he doesn't have to do a lot to impress. And the irony is, of course, that Moby has never come anywhere close in either of these. He has never written a song that was anywhere remotely as important as this one and second, if there is one "popstar" completely without charisma, it probably is Moby. (To be fair, that is not counting casting show stars.) Finally, I can't remember David Bowie writing a song for a commercial.

30th June 09

DAVID MUNYON - purple rain

Listening to the old Prince-classic in a purely acoustic setting and sung with the warm and beautiful voice of David Munyon I am reminded that this is simply a wonderful ballad with great chord changes. Which I already know from a decade back when I tried to strum it myself on the acoustic guitar. But faced with the talent here I know why my guitar is gathering dust. I wonder what Prince's guitars are doing?

22nd June 09

THE HOLD STEADY – Lord, I’m discouraged

Even though my main wish would be to see Bruce Springsteen play “Sequestered in Memphis” live in a stadium (which is not far off, The Hold Steady covered his “Atlantic City”, so he probably knows about them…) this song deserves a honorable mention for the line “Dreams cost money. And money costs dreams.” That is true, I have experienced it.

20^th Jun 09

NOISETTES - never forget you

If, after Amy Winehouse imploded, you started to collect singalikes then you'd have a nice collection by now. Most of them mediocre and not anywhere close to the self-destructive groove of ol' Amy, yet none of them as bland and dumb as US-r'n'b at its regular best. The Noisettes are different because they seem to be not as casted as the rest. And then they have some more guitars. And the shmaltzy tinge in the girl group harmony chorus gets me any time. Could be worse.

13th June 09

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - Jackson Cage

Last night the boss was in town. Yep, that's right - Bruce Springsteen played in a stadium in front of 40.000 people and yours truly was there amongst the cheering crowd. As a friend of mine said: only Bruce Springsteen will bring me to listen to stadium rock in a stadium (and AC/DC). Anyway, on the way back home I thought I could spend a few weeks listening to Springsteen only. Well, the next morning on the way to work I was listening to Jaylib, the collaboration of J Dilla and MadLib. So much for a plan. Jackson Cage was the first song he played. There were 3 hours more. What a great night. Again.

7th June 09

YEAH YEAH YEAHS - heads will roll

If this was the first thing I had ever heard of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and they were a somehow new band to me I'd probably like it. Maybe for the Alice in Wonderland metaphors or the Michael Jackson dance stuff (before his death!). But because I know the band for quite a long time and I can also remember the kind of noise rock energy their first EP had, I loathe the dance beat eighties rip off shit that this hitsingle (indeed...) has. I don't care if the singer of a band is sexy or not (everybody likes the Stones for completely different reasons, right?) but this is dancey shit. If I want to listen to the Scissor Sisters, I'd do it. But I won't. So why would I want to listen to this again?

5th June 09

HARVEY MILK - Down

Opener song of "The Pleaser" about which the sticker on the cover says: "for fans of Melvins, Lightning Bolt, Boris, Swans, Mono, Jucifer and Neurosis". Actually it should say "Sounds like Rollins Band" because that would be the truth, but with that mix of bands mentioned up it is hard to imagine what it should be anyway. Great heavy rock nevertheless, but not what you expect if you know Harvey Milk from later albums, let alone the movie with Sean Penn.

27th June 09

PORTUGAL THE MAN - periodically double or triple

Progrock, my ass. This tune by Portugal The Man mixes the best of Oasis and early Primal Scream. Which means it sounds like the Beatles.

18th June 09

YO LA TENGO - periodically double or triple

Unbelievably funky guitar riff and even break beats take Yo La Tengo far away from their trans-inducing, mellow excursions into guitar feedback and sound. A wild organ solo on top of all that. That direction was already hinted at on their last album and this pre-release song from their new album is a further take on it. Maybe it is all that soundtrack work they do that makes them do this, but then again, let's wait for the whole album to come up. "I'm not afraid of you and I will kick your ass", their last one, was also said to be really soul-sided and full of horns, but then it wasn't. It was great. And so is this, despite the cowbells.

17th June 09

THE BLACK EYED PEAS - boom boom pow

What a frigging collection of retro-disco sounds!? It is hard to believe that the Black Eyed Peas were once offered as the new thing in hip hop / rap. Rarely have I heard such a disconstructed disco track with all the ingredients you can grab from the attic of greyed disco producers and run away with to dust them off. 808 drum programming, vocoder effect, Love Parade Rave synths and so on. How can she sing "I am so 2008 / you are so 2-late"? And then use a fucking vocoder over a dumb 4/4 beat? I don't know if I should hate this for the unstructuredness and stupidity, or like it for the same reasons. Alternatively I could not listen to it at all but rather search out those old 7"es with "Pump Up The Jam" by Technotronic or "Back to life" by Soul II Soul, if you remember those...

10th June 09

LOU REED - egg cream

Only Lou Reed can sing a song about a simple dessert / sweet food and make it sound like a decent, introspective comment about New York, the current state of the nation and the historic state of society. And a decent song on top.

4th June 09

THE KNACK - Don't look back

This rendition of a Bruce Springsteen tune sounds more like a mix of Meat Loaf and The Clash than anything that would come from a "footnote of pop music history" (quote Homer Simpson), and he was talking about "My Ramona", of course. There is a connection between Springsteen and Meat Loaf in that parts of the E-Street-Band, especially drummer Max Weinberg and some others, played in the band that supported Meat Loaf on his legendary "Bat out of hell" and "Dead Ringer" albums. So much for the heavy image of the loaf. There is nothing more I could say about The Knack than this.

1st June 09

RYAN ADAMS - New York, New York

A few years in retrospect, a heroin addiction and some awful overloaded records filled with mediocre music as a result, later, things can be judged much better. To me Adam's masterpiece is still "heartbreaker" and not "gold". And there are much better songs about New York (including a full album by Lou Reed), but nevertheless, this is a good song by all means. What struck me strange though is the fact that with all the hail and praise of being proud of the homecountry after 9/11 no-one seemed to realize (or want to) that the american flag on the cover of the album is upside down. Now, how about a conspiracy theory there...

28th May 09

COLD CHISEL - Knockin' on heaven's door

It is true - this Aussie rock band from the Eighties is where Guns'n'Roses stole their version of the song. 100 % rip off. The a hundred times longer guitar solo doesn't hide anything.

18th May 09

PLACEBO - For what it's worth

I don't know if the songtitle is correct, but that is part of the refrain. I just grabbed two thirds of it on music television (no, not that one!) and I was amazaed at how much this band is suddenly trying to grasp the teenage male alternative rock audience. The heavy rocking song, the video appealing to the inherent feeling of outsiderdom that comes with puberty and most of all the background melody during the chorus that is stolen directly from "I was made for loving you" by the mighty KISS. Not bad for a band that complained about having to share a stage with Kid Rock on a festival.

12th May 09

DR. JOHN - Tipitina

Dr. John is one of the greatest. His mix of r’n’b, blues, jazz and honky tonk in a fusion gumbo that could only come from New Orleans and his flamboyant Vodoo Master style on top, he must have been a sight in his time. This track though is totally over the top. Over a laid back soul band with full horn section in slow mode he sings lyrics about are girl that are even more crazy than his regular Vodoo mumbo jambo: “Tipitina Malaga Walla Hala Lalla”. And after that he drops into some guttural noises that sound as if he was choking on giant crimps in curry sauce. I am sure that there are some other lyrics as well, some of them probably make sense, but I cannot listen for my eyes are filled with tears of laughter. Anyway, get the first three Dr. John records and then judge the man.

11th May 09

SCOTT MATTHEWS - Prescription

Many people have noted the similarity between David Bowie’s voice and Scott Matthews, and this song is where I think the comparison comes from. I cannot remember a song of Bowie where he is using a banjo, though.

9th May 09

TV ON THE RADIO - heroes

Can it be blasphemy if god tells you to do it? David Bowie himself asked TV on the Radio to do a cover version of his cult classic "Heroes" and I think I can hear him singing in the back. The result leaves mixed feelings. On the one hand, listening to this version on a good stereo or in a club setting on loud volume, the background beats are cool and the dynamics are great. The percussiveness of the rendition takes a few extra miles into the mix. But then again, remembering - not even yet listening back - the impression this song had on me (and a lot of other people) when we was young, the emotionality hidden in the cool atmosphere of it, the desperation covered in big synths, and the metaphor of the divided city, are bigger than life in more than one way. And therefore unable to reach. What does it really mean, when they sing "I remember standing by the wall" nowadays, never having lived the cold war for real. A losing game, but played well nevertheless.

23^rd Mar 09

THE REVEREND PEYTON'S BIG DAMN BAND - persimmon song

Country singers like to sing about drinking. True redneck soilborn hillbilly bands like to sing about food, and especially cooking food. From Tony Joe White's "Polk Salad Annie" to The Gourds "Pickle Song" it is not a far cry. Here is the Rev. Peyton's Big Damn band, who will provide Persimmon Pudding for the whole fam damnily. It won the blue ribbon for best persimmon pudding one year at the Persimmon Festival, in Lawrence County, Indiana, goddamnit.

20^th Mar 09

ROBBIE WILLIAMS - come undone

This song proves my old theory that Robbie Williams once set out to become the 21st century Neil Diamond. His singing voice and intonation on this song is so very much like good old Neil. There are other paralells in their career, too (except for the boyband circus, of course). The one thing I am not sure about is, if my theory is of any merit or import these days, given the recluse lifestyle of Robbie.

12^th Mar 09

PROCUL HARUM - whiter shade of pale

Probably the best song ever recorded. Amonst the top ten best songs ever with ease. Just take the organ intro, and then the melody line leading up the refrain and the incomprehensible lyrics. A perfect masterpiece. Right up there with "No Woman No Cry" and "Sweet Home Alabama" as songs that you can hear a 1.000 times and they will still sound good.

08^th Mar 09

WOLF PARADE - fancy claps

The notepicked intro-riff sounds like typical Metallica, as played by an indie-pop band of course. Then they fall into a speeded Placebo rhythm only to find themselves as themselves later on. Funny, how some things fall into place.

20^th Feb 09

ROBYN HITCHCOCK - My wife and my dead wife

They might regard Robyn Hitchcock as England's most underrated songwriter and the only pop god that never became a pop god, but this little, beautiful song is so far out it is hard to grasp. There is a widower, whose late wife has returned as a ghost and now "I can't decide which I love the most / the alive one or the dead ghost". And he ends with claiming how lucky he is to have the two loves of his life still with him. Never thought about why the dead wife returned, did he? Well, as Hitchcock claims on the same album "I'm the man with the lightbulb head / I turn myself on in the dark". 

2^nd Jan 09